*Beaklon- Beaclon was one of the less-than-powerful monsters in MR2. He wasn't BAD, but he wasn't particularly GREAT, either. That has changed. Beaklon (brought to you by the letter K) is far superior to the old Beaclon, and isn't hard to get, either! He's still a Power-and-Defense monster, and his Tough Skin plays into Tanking rather than dodging. But for some reason, his Guts Regen is now very good! Also, while many of his techniques seem like they'd be easy to see coming, they're surprisingly accurate! Gululubang and Beattack, in particular, fit this mold. Further, unless you're trying to make something to compete in the big tournaments on this board, you don't have to worry about Intelligence at all. Its only Int-based attack, Vibrato, isn't used for damage, and shouldn't really be bothered with unless you have Wind Wisdom/Secrets. If you DO have that Char., though, GET IT! The move can be used from long or mid-range, and Wind W/S radically increases the chance of it Addling the opponent, which allows you to set them up for a devastating hit from Gululubang, Beattack, Beakrocket, or Kachiage. Kachiage, by the way, is something to pass on unless you have Earth Wisdom/Secrets, because the other three I just listed with it are much better in terms of accuracy, damage, or both (its only real advantage is Gutsdown).
However, the biggest trap people fall into with Beaklon is to get all its good moves. This seems like a weird thing to say, but notice-- all its truly good techniques have a high cost. Even with Beaklon's improved Guts Regeneration, its Tough Skin leaves it wide open to be humiliated by an Antagonizer if you don't have any low-end moves to fall back on. Make sure to keep around Beaban or Horn Sweep as a back-up measure, and Horn Sweep has the additional advantage of being able to Dizzy your foe sometimes. If you're trying to smack a Speed Demon, that makes it a lot easier to connect a second time! Beaklariat isn't as useful for this, though, because the Dizzy effect doesn't usually activate on either of them, and Horn Sweep gives you several more tries with more accuracy. Also, while Backfist and Super Charge seem neat, they're not really worth keeping around for the long run, either.
To bust a Beaklon, look over its move list. Unless it has Vibrato or Beakrocket (and there are computer-controlled opponents that have them, particularly Exaton), they will have no moves in far range. Hang out there. In fact, even if they have those, it's still a good place to hang out if they don't have the guts yet to use those moves. Also, if the trainer has fallen into the mistake I mentioned above, make them pay for it by hauling out your moves with the best Gutsdown. Even if they haven't, just stay out of range of its low-cost moves and use the same strategy. Don't worry about accuracy, because all Beaklons have either Tough Skin or Stone Skin handicapping their dodging ability. In fact, if the opponent's Defense and Life are too high (as in the possible case of Exaton), this sneaky Antagonizer strategy may be your best bet for success, even if you're used to using another strategy. After a few rounds, you'll soon be puttin' the fear on Taz and his bunch.
By Nate Railsback on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 05:31 pm:
*Gitan- I don't remember who said it, but I remember about a month ago someone commented that they got a lot farther with their Gitan once they realized it's supposed to be a Pow-based monster. They weren't kidding. Even though statistically it's geared toward Intelligence, and it has about an even split between Pow- and Int-based moves, the Pow-based ones generally completely outclass the Int-based techs. Let's look at them, shall we? First off, all its Bit Techs are crap, regardless. Well, I did use Ear Slap quite a bit for an accurate, cheap move, so it's okay, but Thuk Thuk suck sucks, Gang Raid never seems to connect, and Thunderbolt....well, it's cool-looking. It makes Gitan do that hilarious little howl of its. But the problem is, even with Lightning Wisdom, it did virtually no damage to my opponents if my Int. was anywhere near their Def. It's an accuracy and Gutsdown tech, and I'll give it the hit rate, but the withering effect is useless when most opponents can recover as much as they lose in the time it takes Gitan to animate the move. The Stun rate isn't anywhere near enough to make up for it, though you still might keep it around for an Int-based Gitan just to have an accurate move.
Its other techniques, however, are noticeably better. If you can get Flame Breath along with Fire W/S and Lung Capacity, you can DECIMATE your opponents. Javelin's a nice (though inaccurate) move, and Balloon Pop is even useful to Pow-based Gitans due to its huge Gutsdown rating and decent accuracy. Though the Gitan's best moves, as I said, are the physical ones. Turn Stab is your best all-around offense, Skewer and (if you can get it) Crane can destroy a Tank, while Gang Bomb can blow you through fight after fight by itself (One-Hit Wonder strategy, away!). So for Pow-based Gitans, Ear Slap, Turn Stab, Gang Bomb, and Skewer/Crane is the move list of choice, while Int-based ones should take up Thunderbolt, Balloon Pop, Javelin, and Flame Breath, as well as praying (because you're not going to win easily).
No matter which path you take, Gitans are definately Speed-oriented, and while Life can grow easily on them, Defense is always a problem. Thus, using your most accurate techniques and those with good Critical rates will give you an upper hand in beating them (though I don't think there are any Gitan opponents in the game). Fellow Speed Demons can probably afford to take their time taking apart Gitan, but Tanks will probably want to ditch regular strategy and rush them with their best Hit Tech immediately. But when playing AS the Gitan, hang back for a while to get yourself nearly maxed-out on Guts, then drop the Crane on them. If you're lucky, they'll be devastated and Dizzied, allowing you to quickly finish them off with Ear Slap or Turn Stab. If you don't have Crane, use the Combo King strategy along with patience. I think Gitan's Sharp Ears give it better dodging ability, so hanging back will usually be to your advantage.
By Nate Railsback on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 06:00 pm:
*Henger- It...is...REBORN! Hengers were the supreme monster of MR1, but suffered through a bout of mediocrity in MR2. They are now back to being at the top of the heap. A few reasons why: All Hengers have Radar, which works the same as Sharp Eyes, but doesn't disclude them from ALSO having Sharp Eyes! I was lucky enough to raise such a monster, and even when it was facing opponents with double its Speed, it didn't miss. Not that it never missed at ALL, but its accuracy was still astonishing. Furthermore, half a Henger's moves are Electric in nature. If you have Lightning W/S (as I did), you are virtually assured success. Not only does it power up Mega Blade, Beam, and the mighty Giga Blade and SUPREME Ion Cannon even FURTHER, but it even raises the effectiveness of Ray Field! Now, many people discount Ray Field as useless. This is not the case. While slightly increasing dodging/blocking ability, it also (temporarily) powers up Defense in direct proportion to the Henger's Intelligence. Furthermore, you can layer the effect, and for a mere 11 Guts per shot! Even with only 300 Defense, 400 Life and 280 Power, my Henger still survived a Beakrocket from Exaton, which is one of the most brutal hits in the game. This points the way: Raise the Henger. Raise it for Intelligence and Speed, with enough Life and Defense to get around. Set up the Ray Fields, and you are friggin' invincible.
Not that you need to do that, either. That's just if you want to play Combo King or Antagonizer. One-Hit Wonders need only Ion Cannon (the most powerful all-around tech in the game), with a little Beam back-up (sometimes they survive). Combo Kings may be interested in Pow-based techniques, and the Blades should be on your list if you've got the Ltng. W/S. If not, Core Attack and Remote Punch are useful, but Pow-types should always keep around Drill Punch as a cheap, accurate move. Antagonizers can rock da hiz-ouse with Mixing Echo and Giga Shooter. This only leaves Force Bomber, which is not a bad tech by any means, it just doesn't fit as well in these categories. Use it to fill up space, and definately use it and Giga Shooter if you've got Fire W/S. The only other attribute that would really help Henger is the Sniper characteristic. If you can combine all of these on one Int-based robot, you're unstoppable, pure and simple. Ragnarox statistically out-matched me by a good distance, but I still spanked him hard, and you can too. This winter, believe in the power of Henger.
...Unless you're fighting it, then fear the power of Henger. Specifically, fear it by lashing out at it immediately before it can set up Ray Fields (if it doesn't have Ray Field, breathe a sigh of relief and fight it as normal). If it's Pow-based, back off into long-range where it can't hurt you. If it's Int-based, and doesn't have Mixing Echo, you can laugh at it by simply staying OUT of long range! Even Mixing Echo can be escaped in short range, or if you don't mind a little damage and a large Guts hit. Inability to cover all its ranges well is the one weakness of Hengers, so exploit it fully!